Mi Familia
by seeleybaby
Summary: Booth asks Brennan to come home with him for Thanksgiving. Fluffy, and tender
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Bones…can I talk to you for a minute

"Hey, Bones…can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure…Booth, what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you."

"Oh…shouldn't you be getting ready to go home for the weekend?"

"Well, that's what I came to talk to you about. I was wondering if you'd come with me. If you'd like to come with me, I mean."  
"Booth…don't worry about me…I'll be fine…I was going to work here in the lab all weekend, maybe work on my book."

"Bones…I'm asking because I'd like you to come. I think you'd have a good time. My family would like to meet you, and, it would be nice to have a friend along for the ride. If you're too busy, fine, I just thought I'd ask."

She could hear the hurt in his tone. She wasn't used to letting people down. That had been one of the hardest things about being partners with Booth…the closeness was nice, but it also meant the ability to cause pain…she didn't like that.

"Booth…wait…" she'd made a resolution this year…take more risks personally. Her professional life was full of risk, but she was still cautious. She trusted Booth, though, so maybe this would be a good time to take a risk… "okay, yes, I'll go."

"I'm glad. If you're nervous, we can drive separately, so you could leave any time you wanted."

"No…I'll go with you; that was the point right? You'd have someone to go with, right?"

"Yes…that was part of it…can you be ready to go in a couple of hours?"

"Sure, um…will you pick me up at my place?"

"Yeah…and Bones?"  
"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're coming."

"Thanks…I think I am too."

"I'll see you in a couple of hours."


	2. Chapter 2

A couple of hours later Booth knocked on her door

A couple of hours later Booth knocked on her door. She opened it and smiled.

"I'm ready."  
"Great…look, Bones…before we go, I should also tell you that I wanted you to come because I don't like the thought of you being alone for Thanksgiving…I know you can take care of yourself, and I meant everything else I said too, I…well, I just wanted to be honest with you before we left…no secrets."

"Thank you Booth…no secrets…I like that."

"Um, okay…here, let me grab your suitcase."

'No, I've got it."  
"Bones, you have like three bags…let me help you, please?"

"Okay, sure…thanks."

"Thank you…Bones, are you totally dreading this?"

"What? No…Booth…I'm excited. I'm sorry if it seems I'm not looking forward to it. Besides…"  
"What?"

"Oh…nothing, just something Angela mentioned to me…"

"What…come on Bones…no secrets…"

"Okay…well…she said I'd probably get a chance to see your baby pictures, you know one of those cute ones in the bathtub or something."  
"Bones!"  
"What? Sorry…I was just doing what you wanted…"  
"Yeah, well…maybe we should have some secrets."  
"Hmmmm…"

The ride to Pittsburgh was nice. Brennan actually fell asleep, which made Booth smile. So much for having someone to talk to on the trip. Because of the warm autumn, the leaves had turned the week before, and the view along the interstate was gorgeous. He was looking forward to her meeting his family. He'd had the 'pleasure' of meeting hers, and he thought it was about time she'd had some serious family time. He thought she might be intimidated by the way his family acted, but, hell, she'd traveled the world studying human behavior, surely she could manage one Booth family holiday.

About an hour away from Booth's parents, Brennan stirred. Hopefully Booth hadn't noticed the spot of drool on the sweater she'd used as a pillow.

"Wake up, sleepy Bones…"  
"Shut up Booth."

He just laughed.

"I'm sorry I slept the whole way…not a very good companion, I'm afraid."  
"Let's see…" he pretended to consider, "no one complaining about my driving, no one changing my radio stations…sounds like a perfect companion."

"Very funny, Booth…why don't you just get yourself a dog?"

He laughed…"Cause you're so much cuter when you drool."

She slapped him on the arm.


	3. Chapter 3

When they pulled up to the two story farmhouse, Brennan gasped

When they pulled up to the two story farmhouse, Brennan gasped.

"Booth…this is beautiful."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?"

"You grew up here?"

"Yeah…it was pretty great most of the time.'

"Just most of the time?"

"Bones, no one's family is perfect. I mean…yeah it was great, but you know, everyone has some bad memories."

"Booth…how should I act, around your family I mean?"

"How should you act? You shouldn't act at all…you should just be…just be you."

Brennan was silent for a moment.

"Bones, we should probably go in."

She sat there for another entire minute.  
"Bones?"

She turned and looked at him with nervousness in her eyes. Booth felt a twinge of pity for her. Here was a woman who basically plunged headfirst into crime scenes and by her own account had seen horrors beyond description, yet she dreaded entering his family home.

"Are you nervous because it's a family or because it's my family?"

"Both, maybe?"

"Bones, if you've changed your mind, just drop me off and drive back to DC. I'll catch a ride with someone or rent a car or something."

"No…Booth. I can do this. I want to do this."

"Then let's do this. Tell you what…on the count of three, we'll both open our doors, okay?"

She turned to him and grinned.

"I don't think it will come to that." She opened her door.

He laughed and realized he should have known that turning it into a challenge was what it would take to get her moving. He wasn't having any regrets about inviting her, but he knew he'd have to keep an eye out for her. Nothing new there.

They walked to the front door.

"It seems quiet."

"Yeah, well, once my sister and her kids get here, it won't be."

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah, Bones. You'll meet her, and my brother of course."

"How many kids?"

"Two…"

'Seeley, my boy…get in here."

"Hey Dad!" A tall man pulled Booth into a hug. He pulled Booth through the door and shut it. Brennan stood on the porch for a minute before Booth yanked the door open.

"Bones…I am so, so sorry…I thought you were right behind me…"

She just laughed… "That's okay, Booth…"

"Seeley…you brought someone with you?"

"Booth, you didn't tell them I was coming?"

"Well, I didn't know until about two hours before I left. Relax, it's fine."

Brennan felt her chest tighten. It was one thing to be invited, but to just show up at someone's family Thanksgiving was more than she could take.

"Come in and see me Seeley."

"Come on, Bones, let me introduce you to my parents."

"Dad, Mom, this is Bones."

"Bones?"

"Um…Brennan, my name is Temperance Brennan. Booth calls me Bones"

"Seeley, really."

"Sorry Mom…Bones…I mean, Temperance…this is my dad, John, and my mother Caroline. Hey Mom."

Brennan was surprised when Booth walked and sat by the woman on the couch. She proceeded to 'see' him by placing her hands on his face. He leaned in and she kissed him on the forehead.

"He didn't tell you, did he?"

Brennan turned to Booth's dad.

"No, he didn't."

"She's been blind since before our kids were born…it's all they've known."

"Oh…my mother is dead." Why had she just said that?

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

"John? Can you bring Seeley's friend over here, please?"

Booth stood up so she could sit beside his mother. Caroline touched her shoulders and smoothed her hands down her arm until she was holding both of Brennan's hands.

"Well, it is very nice to meet you…um, what did you say your name was?"

"Brennan, Temperance Brennan."

"Well, what should we call you? What do your friends call you?"

"Well, Booth calls me Bones, and most of the people I work will call me Dr. Brennan, but you can call me Brennan, or Temperance, or Tempe, whichever you'd like."

"Well Temperance, I must say, that is very pretty. And I am so, so glad you are here. Welcome to our family."

"Thank you Mrs. Booth"

"Oh, Temperance…please call me Caroline…or, if you feel comfortable, call me Mom. Both John and I always want our children's special friends to call us Mom and Dad."

"Mom, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Booth, let me speak for myself…Caroline, thank you for that. I'll think about it."

"Seeley, let me help you bring in your bags."

"Thanks Dad."

"Well, son, she's very pretty."

"Dad…she's my partner, that's it. She doesn't really have any family, and I didn't want her to be alone, so I invited her, okay? That's it."

"Sure, sure…so, how's Parker?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Seeley, should we put Temperance in your room, or above the garage

"Seeley, should we put Temperance in your room, or above the garage?"

"Bones, what do you think? You can stay here in the house, but you might have more privacy above the garage."

Brennan thought for a minute. 'Take a risk' she thought.

"I'll stay here in the house"

If Booth was shocked, he didn't show it, and moved to carry her bags up the stairs.

"Well, come on up, I can show you all my basketball trophies."  
"Okay, but first…"  
"Yes, Temperance?"

"Um…thank you for letting me join your family. I appreciate it."

Booth smiled and placed his hand on her back as he guided her up the stairs.

Caroline waited until she heard his bedroom door close.

"John?"

"Oh yes, Caroline…she's very special."

"Yes, I can tell…I think she might even be 'baby picture' special."

"I think you might be right."

Brennan laughed as she entered Booth's childhood bedroom.

"What's so funny, Bones?"

"Oh, nothing. I can just imagine you in here is all."

The bed was nice and sure enough, there were trophies lined up against the wall. On the closet door hung a small basketball hoop and net, and on the wall by the window was a photo collage. Brennan went over to examine it. In almost all the pictures Booth was smiling…a big smile she almost never saw on his face. Most pictures also featured him with a large group of friends…on the beach, ice skating, after a basketball game, and one with his family on his high school graduation day.

Booth watched her as she examined the photos. She looked like she was looking for some sort of evidence. She reached up and placed her index finger on the photo of him and his brother. It was from college, and they'd just finished a rugby game. Both were muddy and sweaty, but underneath were huge grins.  
"See anything interesting there Bones?"

"What? Oh…sometimes I forget that you were a boy?"

"What?"

"No, I mean, you're such a…man…that I forget that you had a life that I don't know about." She looked shocked at what she'd said, and turned to him to see his reaction.

He smiled and was about to cross the room when he was tackled from behind.

"Cecilia, what is up?"

"Jennifer!"

Booth tackled his brother to the ground. Brennan was shocked at the display, but was interested to see who would win the male competition. Booth finally was able to pin his brother in some maneuver that looked like a pair of scissors around his leg. Both were laughing, but it seemed Booth had won.

"How do you like me now, bro?"

"Ha…whoa…oh…I'm sorry…I didn't know you had a friend here."

Booth stood up and pulled Jared up with his hand.

"Bones, this is my brother, Jared. Jared, this is Temperance Brennan."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you. Seeley doesn't usually bring women home, so this is a nice surprise."

"I'm just his partner…um…whoa." She was shocked when Jared pulled her into a hug.

"Jared!"

'What, Seeley, she's a pretty lady, and if she's just your partner, well then, she's fair game, right, baby?"

"Yikes"

"I'll have you know I'm not anyone's 'game', but if you'd like, I'll be happy to show you some of my self defense moves."

"Oooh…feisty…I like that. Well, I'll see you two girls downstairs."

"What's so funny?"

"You…and your brother…total alpha male behavior."

"Yeah, well, we usually have one fight like that, and then it's all good."

"Why did he call you Cecilia?"

"Oh, you know, like a girl version of Seeley…he just does it to annoy me. So I call him Judy."

"Oh…his is better."

"Yeah, thanks a million Bones. Alright, let's go. I want to show you something outside."  
"Okay"

"Hey, everyone, I'm taking Bones out to the treehouse…we'll see you later."  
"Okay, Seeley, see you later"

"Temperance…" Jared placed his hands on her shoulder… "if Seeley tries anything, just…let me know, I'll take care of it."

"I can take care of myself, but thank you."

"Come on Bones. Ignore him."

Booth escorted Brennan out the back door and down the deck steps. About one hundred feet away was a giant oak tree with a ladder nailed to its trunk. Booth turned with a boyish grin on his face

"You ready for this Bones?"

"Sure, it's just a treehouse."

"No…this is not just any treehouse…Bones, prepare to be impressed."

As she climbed the ladder behind Booth, she couldn't help but notice the great view ahead of her. She reached the ladder and grabbed onto his hand to pull herself the rest of the way. The push she gave herself caused her to fall into his arm.

"Hey, Bones, maybe I need my brother to protect me from you."

"Haha, very funny….whoa."

"Hey, hey! What did I tell you, huh? Oh, yeah, this is the best."  
Brennan looked around at what could only be described as a tree mansion.

"This is like the Swiss Family Robinson."

"You've seen that movie?"

"Yes, I always loved it."

"Me too, Bones."

"Hey, is that a hammock down there?"

"Yes…also awesome."

"Can we try it?"

"Sure…haven't you ever been in a hammock before?"

"No, and I've always wanted to. Please, Booth, can we?"

"Sure, Bones, sounds great."

He helped her out of the treehouse, and they walked to the hammock.

"Okay, Bones. First, you want to sit on it to get your balance, and then, when you are comfortable, you can lay down, like this. Okay. I'll lie here, and you can join me."

She sat and was surprised by how it swayed under her.

"Booth"

"It's okay, Bones, we're good. Now, just lay back onto my arm…"

She did this and he grasped her waist.

"Now just put your feet in."

She did as he told.

"Hey, this is nice"  
"Yeah, it is."

"Can we just stay here for awhile?"

"Sure, Bones, that's what vacations are for…just relaxing."


	5. Chapter 5

Brennan awoke with a start

Brennan awoke with a start. She turned her head and saw she was being watched. A small boy, around four or five years old, stared at her, a golden retriever at his side. They stared at each other for a couple of minutes while Brennan tried to figure out where she was. A hammock?

"Booth?"

"Hmmm…" He turned and wrapped his arm tighter around her waist.

"Booth!"

"What, Bones…Bones?" He sat up and barely kept them from tipping over in the hammock. His body fell onto hers.

"Uncle Seeley?"

He turned his head…

"Johnny…hey buddy"

Brennan covered her face with her hands. He pushed off of her with his arms. This caused his hips to press into hers.

"Oh my God" she gasped.

They both heard laughing in the background.

"Johnny, look's like you found them…good job bud!"

"Hey, Uncle Jared…what's 'bones'?"

"Why don't you ask Uncle Seeley?"

By the way…this is all happening on a Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.

"Hey Seeley, who's your friend?"

Booth kissed his sister on the cheek.

"Hey Cara, this is Temperance Brennan, my partner with the Jeffersonian Institute."

"Oh, yes, hi…it's nice to meet you. I've read your books, also, and I love them Dr. Brennan."

"Oh, please, call me Temperance, or Brennan, sometimes my friend calls me Bren."

"Well, Bren, I hope we can be friends. I'm Cara, like Seeley said, and this is my husband, Ben, Ben Summers."  
"It's nice to meet you, Ben." Brennan shook his hand and smiled in return.

"And I see you've met our Johnny" Cara hid a grin at the slight blush on Brennan's face.

"And this little squirm worm is Seelia…she's just turned two."  
"Oh my" Brennan gasped. This was the most beautiful child she'd ever seen.

"Booth…is she named after you?"

"Yes" he grinned "after her favorite uncle"

"Yeah right" Jared interjected, "It was just easier to turn your name into a girls' name"

"Okay, sons, that's enough" Booth's dad said. "Come on, Johnny, my boy…it's time you and I went up to the treehouse. Jared, why don't you join us."

"Yes!" Johnny raced away, and the two men followed him.

"Well, Seeley, you look great. Life must be agreeing with you these days."

'Thanks, Cara, you look great too, as always."

Brennan felt a twinge of jealousy at the easy rapport between brother and sister. She caught Booth's eye and was surprised to see a hint of compassion in his eyes.

"How's Parker?" Ben asked.

"He's great; he wanted to come, but…"

"Yeah, it's tough" Cara put her arm around his shoulders, "Thanks Bren, for coming with him; that was really nice of you."

"Oh…um I'm the one who should be thanking Booth… I didn't have any plans, and he invited me…so, I didn't really do anything."

"Oh…I thought you two were…you know…"  
"Nope, we're just partners, right Bones?"

"Yeah, we're partners. Booth felt sorry for me, so he invited me."  
"Well, I wouldn't say that, Bones. I mean…I like you…I mean I enjoy your company…I…wasn't feeling sorry for you. Cara is right. I was feeling sorry for myself because Parker couldn't come, and I thought it would be nice to have a friend."

"Booth…thank you."

Ben and Cara shared a glance at the meaningful look between Booth and Brennan

"Dinner's ready!" Caroline called from the porch. "Well…I should say…Dinner is Here. Temperance, I hope you don't mind that we've ordered in. Normally I would never feed a guest take out on their first visit, but it's sort of a tradition. We always order in when everyone gets here the night before Thanksgiving and then stay up late playing games. Do you like Thai food?"

"Yes…yes I do…but where can you get Thai food around here?"

"FBI Bones…it comes in handy."


	6. Chapter 6

Brennan was a little overwhelmed by the noise involved in a large family meal. It was all happy noise, she just wasn't used to so much activity. As she sat watching it unfold, she realized she kind of liked it. Booth had ended up holding Seelia. He looked good…right somehow… with a baby. She turned to see Jared smiling at her. He really was nice, and looked kind of like Booth. He wasn't as tall, but he seemed to smile more easily. Brennan was reminded of the photo of the two of them in Booth's bedroom where they'd both been smiling without a care in the world. Brennan wondered what specifically had happened in Booth's life to make him smile less. She turned to see him looking at her with a frown on his face. She quickly looked down to see if she was doing something wrong. She really didn't want to embarrass herself or Booth in front of his family.

"Seeley..quit staring at Temperance…it's rude."

"Right back at you, Jared."

"Boys…I do not want to tell you again…stop fighting. Temperance, I'm so sorry. Usually my sons are better behaved, isn't that right?"

"Yes, mom" they said in a chagrined unison.

Brennan started laughing.

"I'm so sorry" she gasped

'What's so funny, Bones?"

"Your face! No one I know tells you what to do…I'm so sorry…it just…whoo…I don't know, I just never thought I'd see anyone who could make you feel like that."

"Yeah, well, there are only two people in the world who can, and they happen to be in this room." Booth managed a smile.

Brennan looked at Booth hoping that this smile would turn into a big one. She felt a twinge of disappointment that it didn't. Who or what could make him really smile?

She was still pondering this as she helped Cara gather the leftovers. They were joined by John and Caroline while Ben, Jared and Booth took Johnny outside for some football.

"Bren…do you have any family of your own?"

"Oh…well…it's kind of a long story…you see, my parents disappeared when I was fifteen." Cara gasped. "Oh, Bren…I am so sorry…you don't have to go on…if it's too difficult to talk about."

"No, no…um…I'd like to tell you."

"We'd love to hear it Temperance." Caroline said.

"Well, like I said, my parents left us…my brother Russ and me, when I was fifteen. He was nineteen, and he also left. I was placed in foster care for a few years. I won't go into the details, but…it wasn't great. I worked really hard in school and earned a scholarship to Northwestern. I basically devoted my life to anthropology. Then one day a coworker found my mother's bones. I always thought she and my dad were still alive, so it was a shock…"  
"Temperance…I am so sorry."  
"Thank you John…I'm sorry too, but, well, you should know that my parents were actually convicts. My dad is still alive, but I found out we'd all been living under aliases, and just reconnected with my brother, when Booth brought him to town to help in the investigation."

"So you're dad is still alive?"

"Yes, but, well, he's in jail. Booth arrested him."

They all sat in shocked silence.

"I know it's crazy…Booth was really sorry. He apologized for about three months, but it was his job. I know. But, I'm trying to get to know my father again, and my brother…but, it's hard…I love my work though, and it's very rewarding, plus Booth is…"

The silence continued.

"Hey…I have some news." Booth came in at that moment. "I just got a call from Rebecca, and she said she's willing to bring Parker up here on Saturday morning, which is great. He'll only be here one night, but I told her that was fine. I'd take what I could get."  
"Seeley, that's great."

As his family congratulated him, Brennan got up and walked outside. She was such a fool. Obviously this family was nice, but why would they want to be associated with someone like her? Someone whose family was totally messed up. And now that Parker was coming, Booth didn't even need her there.

"Hey Bones, you out there?"

"Yeah, Booth, I just thought I'd get some fresh air."

"Oh, well, come in and get some ice cream if you want."

"Oh…um…I'm not feeling too well. I think I'll just go to bed."

"Oh…Bones…I'm sorry you're sick."

"What? Bren, you don't feel well?"

"I think I'm just tired. I'm sorry, but I think I'm just going to go to bed."

"Temperance, don't apologize. Seeley, why don't you walk her to your room."

Booth did as he was told, placing his hand on her back as he walked her up the stairs. It felt like a brand, but that was nothing compared to the feeling of his entire family watching them walk up to his bedroom.

"You sorry you came, Bones?"

"What? No, Booth, you're family is amazing. I…I can see why you are the way you are."

"You think I'm amazing, huh? Nice." He grinned, but even as she looked carefully, she could see it wasn't 100 percent there.

"Booth…"  
"Yeah Bones?"

"Nevermind." She turned to open the door to his bedroom.

"Sweet dreams, Bones."

As she got ready for bed, she went once again to the wall of photos. She pulled down the one she'd been thinking of all night, the one with Booth smiling without a care in the world. As she got under the covers, she held the photo wondering…wondering about Booth.

When Booth walked back into the living room, everyone stopped talking.

"What is it?"

"Seeley…I'm not sure how to say this…"  
'What is it, Dad?"

"Well, Temperance told us about her family."

"She did? Wow…did she tell you that I…"

"That you actually arrested her father? Yes, she did."  
"Seeley, I am so sorry for you."

"Thanks Mom. Yeah, it was tough. Bones, though, she's great…she knows I was just doing my job…yeah."

"Seeley…I'm sorry I gave you a hard time before. Is she really just your partner?'

"Yeah, she really is, well, I mean, she's a friend, I guess. But I don't really think she's your type, Jared."

"Ah, yes, well, from now on, I promise to lay off. I'll be on my best behavior."

"Yeah right" Cara said, " I'll believe that when I see it."

"I'll be on my best behavior regarding the lovely Dr. Brennan, how about that?"

"Hmmm…a start."

"Well…I think I'm also going to go to bed. Mom and Dad, it's great to see you, Judy, Cara and Ben…see you tomorrow."

"See you, bud."

Later that night, John turned off his bedroom light.

"John?"

"Yes, Caroline?"

"Are we alone?"

"Who else would be in our bedroom?" he laughed.

"John…I'm just so…Seeley"  
"What are you hearing, Sweet Caroline?" he'd learned to rely on her intuition.

"Does Seeley know he's in love with Temperance?"

John was silent for a moment…"I don't know…what do you think?"

"He calls her Bones, and when he does, it sounds like you when you talk to me. What are you seeing?"

"He can't keep his eyes off of her. He likes her, for sure, but I don't know about love. He cares for her."

"What about her?"

"She's…nervous, but she is also comfortable around him. She looks at him first when she thinks something is funny, just to see his reaction. I think she is confused; maybe they both are."

"Do you think it's possible that they are in love and don't know it?"

"I think that's very possible."

'Should we say or do anything?"

"No…I mean, I trust your opinion too, but let's just see what happens. You were right earlier today…she is very special."

"And so is our boy."

"Yes he is…and so are you."


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Brennan woke up and walked to the kitchen.

'Oh, Temperance, I'm glad you're awake. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes thank you."  
"Bren, we're about to go to the store. We weren't sure if you wanted to join in…but…well…"

"Join in what?"

"Well, every year, each person is responsible for making one thing for Thanksgiving dinner. Each person can choose, and then we all go to the store to get the ingredients, and come home and hang out in the kitchen. It's actually more fun than the eating, and, well…we weren't sure if you wanted to be a part of it."

"Well…yes…I'd like that. Um…I can make macaroni and cheese."

"Hey everybody…Bones did I hear you say mac and cheese, huh?"

"I think that will be my contribution to the meal."

"Awesome…Cara…remember Great Grandma's mac and cheese? Well…Bones here has got the right touch. You won't be disappointed."

"Booth…don't…exaggerate. It's not that great really…"

Jared wrapped his arm around Brennan.

"Temperance, if there is one thing I know about Seeley, it's this. He never jokes about mac and cheese."

Everyone in the kitchen laughed. Brennan was glad again that she'd come. She was surprised at the way this family had accepted her, even after knowing about her family.

'You're the one having a hard time accepting it' she thought to herself.

Booth caught the conflicted look on his face, but decided to wait until later to talk about it.

Cara was right, Brennan thought. The time spent in the kitchen was fun. Booth was pleased to see a genuine smile on her face.

'Seeley, could we speak to you for a moment please?"

"Sure Dad." Booth followed his dad into his private study where his mom was also waiting.

"Dad, Mom…is something wrong?"

"No, son…sorry if we worried you. We just have a question for you."  
"Okay…what's up?"

"Well…what are your intentions toward Temperance?'

"What?" Booth was taken aback by this. "What are you talking about?"

"Just what your mom said. What are your intentions toward our girl?"

"Your girl…um… I'M your son, remember me?"

"Yes, Seeley, but…well…we don't mean to brag, but you've turned out great, and Temperance…well."

"Seeley, after we talked with her last night, we realized she's alone in the world, someone has to look out for her…isn't that why you brought her here?"

"Well…yes…"  
"Son, maybe your mother and I are out of line. We're not trying to make you do anything you don't want to. I just want you to be very careful with this girl's heart."  
"Dad…I"

"Seeley, I can see we've taken you by surprise. It was never our intent to worry you. We've come to care for Temperance in the past couple of days and we want her to be okay, also."

"She's my partner. It's my job to take care of her."

"Yes…that's all we want to know…and if another man is interested in her, well, then we know you'll make sure she's found someone great."

"Yeah, sure."

"Hey…Seeley…get your butt back down here. I'm not finishing this pie without you!"

"Go, son, go save your brother and the pie."

As Booth left, John turned to Caroline.

"Do you think we spoke too soon?"

Later that day, the entire family was sitting around the large table in the formal dining room. Brennan found herself between Johnny and Ben and across from Booth, who was sitting between Jared and Cara. John and Caroline sat at opposite ends of the table.

"Well" John began. "It's time."

Brennan wasn't sure what he meant, but Caroline spoke up.

"Temperance, each year before we eat, each member of the family says on thing he or she is thankful for from the past year. If you do not want to participate, you do not have to."

"Oh…um, no, I would like to say something, but…well, I don't think I want to go first."  
"That's fine, we usually go oldest to youngest. John?"

'Yes, well…I must say that I am once again thankful for this year. I'm happy to see my three children around this table, alive and happy. I'll never grow tired of that."

Caroline spoke next.

"I would like to say that I am very thankful for my grandchildren. John, Seelia, I love you very much."  
"Thank you Grandma" Johnny said.

"Ah, yes, well then, that is my cue, I believe" Ben added. He looked at Cara, and she nodded.

"We were waiting until now to tell you, and Mom, you gave us a perfect opening. You'll have something else to be thankful for next year because we are going to have another baby."

"Oh Cara..that is so wonderful" Caroline said.

Booth wrapped his arm around Cara and kissed her on the temple. Brennan could see his eyes and was surprised at the emotions that passed over his face, a combination of joy and pain.

"Thank you everyone." Cara said. "But I have to tell you that I'm going to say the same thing."

"Nope, Cara" Jared said, "You can't do that. You have to have one of your own."

"Okay, okay. Well, then in that case. Ben can be thankful for one baby, and I'll be thankful for the other one."

"Twins? Oh Cara…how special!" John noted.

"Thank you…Seeley, you're next."  
Booth was still reeling from the talk he'd had with his parents that morning. He'd spent the day mulling over their words. Brennan was so used to caring for herself, sometimes he forgot that she was practically an orphan. He realized all eyes were on him.

"Well…I'm thankful for my job. I get to help people, and…" his practiced speech flew from his mind… "and I'm thankful for friendship." He smiled at Brennan.

"Okay, I think I'm next" Jared interrupted.

"I'm thankful for Sally. She was sorry she couldn't make it, but she was spending time with her own family this weekend. Temperance, Sally is my girlfriend. She is very special, and I like her a lot. I love her actually."  
"Jared, why don't you just ask her to marry you already?"

"Well, I will soon, I promise."

"Um…I think I'm next." Brennan said nervously.

She looked around the table at this family of people who had taken her in with no questions asked. Within 48 hours she'd felt a part of this amazing group. Her gaze landed and stayed on Booth.

"I'm thankful for family"

Booth's eyes warmed and she could see that he understood what she'd meant. He was right, there was more than one kind of family. His gaze held hers until she heard everyone at the table laughing. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Well, Johnny, I'm glad to hear you are thankful for ear plugs. Yes they probably do come in handy with a little sister. John…would you please cut the turkey and begin serving everyone?"

"It would be my pleasure"

Brennan looked at Booth to see him smiling at her. She gasped as she realized it was a full smile, one that lit up his whole face, a smile like the one from the photo she'd tucked into her bag.


	8. Chapter 8

After dinner was over, and the dishes were cleared, the whole family gathered in the living room to watch football

After dinner was over, and the dishes were cleared, the whole family gathered in the living room to watch football. Brennan felt as if she were in an advertisement for some product, something in a magazine. Mostly everyone relaxed after the big meal, and she found herself getting excited for the Steelers every once in awhile. When she thought about it, football was very anthropologically interesting. These men were wearing team or 'tribal' gear and were trying to protect their turf, or "end zone" as Booth had told her. Everyone in the room gave Ben a hard time about Detroit losing, but it didn't look like he minded too much. After the Steelers game, Cara and Ben moved to take the kids to bed and Jared called Sally to wish her a good night.

"Hey, Bones, how about a walk? You haven't lived until you check out the stars here in the country."  
"Sure Booth."

He helped her into her coat. His hands lingered a bit on her shoulders, but then smoothed down her arms.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"Mom, Dad? Bones and I are going for a walk. Don't wait up."

Caroline smiled, and John walked them to the door.

"Goodnight you two."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, each alone in his or her thoughts.

"Your mac and cheese was a hit…like I knew it would be."

Brennan grinned, "Yeah, that was nice,"

"And…?" Booth asked.

"And…even though I don't really like pie, yours was good."  
"Thank you, Bones. That means a lot." Booth grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Even through the layers of her wool coat, she could feel his strength.

"My parents like you."

"I like them too Booth…they really are amazing."

"I wish Parker could spend more time with them. Rebecca, she likes my parents, and everything, it just never seems to work out. I worry about…"

"What, Booth?"

"Well, I worry about not getting to spend time with him, that he'll grow up not really knowing my family. If Rebecca were to get married, well, he'd have another set of grandparents…and I hate that."

"Yeah, I can see that."

By this time, they had returned to the house. Neither one wanted the night to end.

"Want to go up to the treehouse?"

"Sure."

Booth pulled a flashlight out of the garage, and they went up the ladder. From the corner near the rope swing, the view of the stars was unparalleled.

"Come on over, here Bones"

"Are you sure it will hold us?"

"Yeah, we should be good, although you did eat a lot…so."

"Booth!" she slapped him on the arm.

He reached to grab on to her, but missed. Booth lost his balance and fell off the edge of the tree house.

"BOOTH!"


	9. Chapter 9

Brennan raced down the ladder and ran to his side

Brennan raced down the ladder and ran to his side. She ran her hands over his body, checking for injuries.

"Booth, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…I think I just lost my breath. Ugh.." he groaned.  
"Booth…I am so sorry."

"Seeley, are you guys okay, out there?"

"Yeah, Dad, we're fine. Bones just tackled me is all. She can't keep her hands off of me."

"Booth."

"Bones, please, I don't want to worry them."

"Okay, son, well, good night."

"Good night, Dad."

Brennan helped him up to a sitting position.

"Booth, at least let me help you up to the garage."  
"Okay, yeah, that would be nice."

She put her arm around him and walked him up the stairs.

"I'm going to be sore tomorrow."

"Booth…I…let me help you…"  
"You are helping me Bones." They entered the apartment. Brennan was surprised at how nice it was. As they moved toward the bed, Brennan blushed a little at the sight of some plaid boxers kicked under the bed. "No, I mean, I think you should let me give you a massage. I've been taking a class in my spare time"  
"Spare time? What spare time?"

"Well…it's been awhile, okay…like two years, but I think I still know what to do."  
"Bones, I don't know."  
"Relax, Booth. It's not sexual, it's just releasing pressure. Trust me, it's important that you massage your muscles now, or you really will be uncomfortable tomorrow."

"Okay, Bones, but, don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Um…Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"You should probably take off your clothes for this. I'll really want to work the muscles."

Booth groaned, but did as she suggested.

Brennan's stomach dropped at the sight of his abdomen. Oh my…without thinking, she moved her index finger to trace a line between his shoulders. Booth's hands moved to take off his pants. He'd be lying if this particular scene hadn't been in a few of his fantasies. Of course, in his dreams, she'd also been getting naked and he didn't feel like he'd fallen out of a treehouse.

"Get into bed, Booth."

He groaned at her words, hoping she misinterpreted them as pain in his body.

Booth entered the bed and laid on his stomach. Brennan began at his shoulders, applying pressure and massaging his muscles. Soon the tension subsided.

'Bones, you are good at this."

She smiled and continued down his arms and back. She moved to his feet and began rubbing her hands up his legs.

Involuntarily, his hips pressed into the mattress. She gulped at the shift in his back muscles, and for the first time felt jealous of a mattress. Soon a new tension took over the room.

"Booth…turn over"

"Bones…I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Booth…please…you need to release the tension in your body. Trust me…it's not sexual, it's a purely physiological impulse, and I want to help you, physiologically" she lied.

He turned, and with one arm over his eyes, gave into her wishes. He groaned as she worked his boxers down his legs, and he ignored the slight gasp he heard from her lips.

Brennan realized she'd gotten herself into a bit of a pickle. She'd thought she could handle this, but one look at Booth's face and she knew she was lying to herself.

"Um…Booth, maybe it's better if you lay on your side." If she could lay behind him and not have to see his face, then maybe she could keep this 'physiological'. He did as she suggested, and she stretched her body along the back of his. He could feel her breath on the back of his neck, and it increased the tension coursing through his body. She moved her hand to his hip, then rubbed it across the tight muscles of his abdomen. His hips reached out to her again, and she moved her hand down, down to where he needed it. In his mind, he was dreaming of permanence…that this wasn't a one time massage therapy session. As she worked to lessen the strain on his body, he could hear her breath in his ear. Damn, she was good.

Soon, embarrassingly soon, he felt a strong release. The effects of the fall and her therapy soon had him falling asleep. He thought he felt her kiss him on the cheek and then he heard the door shut.


	10. Chapter 10

Brennan awoke the next morning and walked to the kitchen to see Jared and Cara sitting drinking coffee

Brennan awoke the next morning and walked to the kitchen to see Jared and Cara sitting drinking coffee.

"Where is everyone?'

"Mom and Dad took Johnny and Seelia to the store and Ben is out for a run. I'm not sure where Seeley is."

"Oh, well, he's sleeping in. I walked up to the apartment and I could hear him snoring through the door, so I didn't want to bother him."

Cara about choked on her coffee while Jared started laughing.

"What? What's so funny? You didn't know that Booth snores sometimes?"

"It's not that.'  
"What is it?"

"Well….Cara would you like to tell?"

"Nope..it's all yours."  
"Temperance…how long have you known Seeley?"

"A few years, why?"

"Well, you may or may not know that Seeley never sleeps in. Never."

"It's true, Bren."

"So?"

"Well…I guess we shouldn't say never…" Jared laughed again.

"What is it?"

"Seeley only sleeps in if he's well…gotten some."

Brennan gasped and dropped the cup she was holding.

Both Jared and Cara noticed the blush on her face. Cara took pity on her.

"Well…there was that one time he was sick, and he did sleep in then too."

"Are you serious?"

"Yup" Jared confirmed. "It's his one tell."

"Oh, well…I'd better go check on him…I mean…he's sick…yeah."

Jared and Cara snickered as she raced out the door.

She rushed up the steps and pounded on the door. She could still hear him snoring, so she raced in and shook Booth by the shoulders.

"Booth! Booth, wake up!"  
"What?...Bones? What is it?"

"Booth, you have to get up."  
"What? What time is it?"

"It's like 10 am."

"Oh…OH….Oh my God…I slept in."

"Yes, and your brother.."

"Jared knows?" this was getting worse.

"And Cara."

"What about Mom and Dad?"

"They aren't here. Booth…you could just tell them you're sick. Cara said that, well you know, sometimes you sleep in when you are sick."

"Bones, I did that one time, and I had appendicitis. I don't think I can say I have that again."

"Oh" she slumped on the bed

"Yeah"

Brennan sat in silence wondering what they should do about this new situation.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay…a little sore." Her gaze traveled over his body, checking for bruises. His lower half was covered by a sheet. She realized she was sitting on a bed with Booth.

Warm, naked, sleepy, morning Booth. In bed.

In the morning light, his body looked almost golden. She met his eyes and saw that he was also thinking of her hands all over his body. This was pure, unadulterated lust. Her hip was pressed against his, and she leaned down so her right arm was on the other side of his body.

"Bones…wait…"

She froze an inch away from his lips.

"Don't kiss me unless you mean it. I can't take it. It can't just be physiological."

"Booth…"

Just then they heard a car door slam. Brennan shot from the bed.

"I'll…see you…I'll see you downstairs."

Booth groaned and put his hands over his eyes.

"Aren't you coming Booth?"

"I'll be down in a minute."

This was such a mess.

Brennan walked into the kitchen again where Cara, Ben and Jared were talking.

"Seeley still sleeping?" Ben asked laughing. Obviously he was now in on the joke.

"Um…no, he's up…he's awake…um, he'll be here in a minute."

Booth walked in gingerly.

"What's the matter, Seeley?"

'What, oh…nothing, just a little sore still."

Cara gasped and Ben laughed. All eyes flew to Brennan.

"Sore?" Jared's eyebrows rose. "Dr. Brennan…whoa…"  
"What? No…"

'You didn't tell them?" Booth asked

"No, you said not to." She replied.  
"Tell us what?" By now Cara was also laughing.

"I fell out of the treehouse last night. That's all."

All eyes went back to Brennan.

"That's true, he did fall out of the treehouse."

"And that caused you to sleep in?" Jared wasn't buying it.

"Look, I know what you're thinking, and…we didn't…I mean…"

"Booth and I didn't have sex last night."

Booth groaned.

"Well, Temperance, that's good to know."

Mortified, she turned to see Caroline and John standing in the doorway with their packages and two grandchildren.


	11. Chapter 11

Seelia started crying and pulled the focus from Brennan

Seelia started crying and pulled the focus from Brennan. Thankful, she left the kitchen and walked to the family library.

"Bones…wait"

"Let her go, Seeley…she's probably embarrassed."

She had wanted to come in here for a couple of days, but hadn't found the time. She pulled a book off the shelf and sat in a chair by the window, skimming the pages for about an hour. She put it back on the shelf, and as she traced the old books with her finger, she came across a book with no title on the cover. Curious, she pulled it out and opened it. It was a book-shaped box. Inside the box was a stack of letters, tied with a red ribbon.

She pulled the ribbon and opened the letter on top.

"Dear Caroline…"

Brennan looked at the bottom of the letter…

"Love, John"

She gasped. All of these letters were from John? She felt guilty for looking, but she couldn't make herself put them back.

'Bren, are you okay?"

"What? Oh…Cara…I found these."

"Dad's letters? Wow, I haven't seen those in years."

"You know about these?"

"Yeah, Mom always says Dad is her favorite writer, and she likes having them here in the library. Did you read them?"

"Not yet, I didn't want to intrude, but if you don't think they would mind…"  
"Not at all, in fact, I think I'll ask my mom to join us…if you don't mind."  
"No…where is everyone else?"

"All the guys are out. They always do a guy trip on the boat the day after Thanksgiving. Seelia is sleeping, and Mom is just in the kitchen. Why don't we take these into the living room?"

"Sure. I'll meet you there."

As she entered the living room and sat on the couch, Brennan felt a twinge of nervousness. Those two hours in the library had caused her to forget the humiliating episode in the kitchen this morning. As Cara and Caroline sat down, Brennan decided to apologize again.

"Caroline, about this morning…"

"Temperance…don't worry about it. What you and Seeley do is your business."  
"But, we didn't…I'm just so embarrassed."

"Bren, don't be embarrassed. Or at least, don't feel bad about being embarrassed. That's what being in a family is all about. I could tell you tons of dumb stuff we've all done…really, don't worry about it."

"Yes, Temperance…Cara is right. That is what family is about…people who care about you even if you make mistakes. I'm not saying that what you did was a mistake, just that you shouldn't feel badly about it."

"Thank you…" Brennan was pondering this.

"So…you found my letters."

"Yes…Caroline…when did John write these?"

"We were in college, he was at Pitt and I was in Massachusetts at Smith. He wrote me those amazing letters every week, and that is how I knew I loved him."

"I'm sorry to ask, but were you blind then?"

"Don't be sorry…No…I wasn't…shortly after we were married, I was in a car accident. I lost my sight, but John stayed with me. Soon after that, we were pregnant with Cara. It was tough in some ways, but I can't complain."

"No…you have a lovely family"

"Thank you Temperance. Now, are you willing to read me one of my letters?"  
"Sure…

'Dear Caroline,

I miss you. I'd like us to get married as soon as school is over. I know you want to wait until we both have jobs, but…I love you, for richer or for poorer, and I want to share my life with you. We complement each other. When I look at you, I see children and grandchildren and holidays and all of my dreams coming true. Caroline, please think about it.

I love you,

John.'

"Wow….it really happened"  
"Yes…we are very happy. It hasn't been perfect, but…it has been nice."

"How did you know to say yes?"

"Temperance, I knew that I'd regret it if I said no. He'd meet someone else and make her happy, and that made me mad. Also, I couldn't stop thinking about him, not just about his body…Cara, I know you don't like hearing this, but your dad is one hot tamale"

Brennan laughed at the look of disgust on Cara's face.

"Hey, one day, Seelia will feel that way about you and Ben"

Cara laughed.

"Temperance, with John, I felt safe. I knew he cared about me. He loved me, and that hasn't changed. I still feel safe, and loved"

"Oh…that's…I've never really felt that. I take care of myself mostly."

"Yes, I recognize that, and it seems as if you are very successful at looking after yourself, but I want you to know something…come over here."

Brennan stood and moved to sit on the couch by Caroline. Caroline joined their hands together.

"Temperance…you are loved here. You deserve love."

"But what if I don't have any love to give?"

"Love has many forms, darling. Look inside yourself. You have love to give. I can hear it in your voice and feel it in your touch."

"Thank you, thank you very much"

"You are welcome, Temperance. Do you have any other questions?

"Um…well there, is one more thing…"

"Yes, Temperance?"

"Do you have any baby pictures of Booth? You know…good, cute, embarrassing ones?"

Cara laughed… "Oh yes…"


	12. Chapter 12

This is how the Booth men found them that night

This is how the Booth men found them that night. Cara and Brennan were flipping through photo albums and laughing while Caroline told them funny stories about what had been going on when the photos were taken. They hadn't realized the sun had gone down, but it was almost 11 pm.

"Hey Bones, see anything good?"

"Yes…but you might not like it…Booth, what ever made you dress up in a cheerleader's uniform?"

"Bones…give that to me. He sprung over the couch, but she was too quick, and she moved to put the piano between them.

"Seeley…leave Temperance alone…and go wash up, you guys smell like fish."

Ben picked Cara up and gave her a huge hug.  
"Gross!" she squealed, but it was clear she secretly liked it. She looked at Booth to find him looking back at her. Her insides warmed. She immediately pictured a world where Booth would come home from something and pick her up in a huge hug. For the first time, she didn't feel anxious at the idea of being with someone. 'You have love to give' Caroline's words popped in her mind… 'You deserve love'…she could feel her heart overflowing and wondered if Booth was able to read her thoughts.

Everyone else in the room could clearly see the connection between them. Ben took Cara and Johnny out of the room and Jared followed them.

Brennan's attention was turned when Caroline spoke up.

"How was the fishing trip, John?"

"Caroline, it was nice. What did you ladies find to do here?"

"We talked. Temperance found your letters. She read some to me and Cara. It was very nice, and then we started looking at pictures."

"Ah…the letters…"

'Um…I think I'm going to go ahead and go to bed." Brennan was anxious to sort through some of her feelings.

"Okay, Bones, good night."

She made it out the door and leaned up against the wall. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn't move when she heard Booth start talking with his parents.

"Mom, it sounds like you had a nice day."  
"We did, Seeley, very nice. How about you?"

"It was great. I wish Parker could have been here. I miss him"

"Yes, I know you do son."  
"Dad, he's so amazing. If you felt even a speck of what I feel for him, I owe you so much."

"Seeley, I did feel that way the day you were born, and I still do. But you don't owe me anything; you owe it all to him."

"Yeah, Dad, yeah. Thanks."

"Seeley, you have a very special partner."

Booth laughed

"I know Mom, trust me I know. She's too good to me."

"Well, you should know that if you ever do something to make her mad, we might just choose her over you."

In the hallway, Brennan gasped. No one had ever chosen her.

"Bones…are you out there?'

She ran to her room as fast as she could.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning Brennan woke up when Booth knocked on her door

The next morning Brennan woke up when Booth knocked on her door.

"Bones, you awake?

He came in carrying Seelia.

"Booth?"

He sat on the bed wearing a soft t-shirt and sweats.

"How'd you sleep, Bones?"  
"Good…I like sleeping in your bed…I mean…it's very comfortable." It was too early in the morning to try to form complete sentences.

Booth tried to ignore the way her body filled out her t shirt and prayed she was wearing some sort of bottoms underneath the blanket. Booth knew he'd never sleep in this bed again without picturing her as she was at that moment.

"Well, you're the first girl to ever sleep in it, and I'm glad…that it's comfortable, I mean."

Irrational pleasure spread from her heart through her limbs at the idea. Booth sitting by her in bed with a beautiful baby was almost more than she could take. Her uterus skipped a beat. Before she could sit up, he placed Seelia on her belly. The baby laughed at the contact on her own stomach. For a moment, Booth's hand was stuck in the middle, his palm against Seelia and his knuckles imprinted onto Brennan's abdomen. She gasped.

He pulled his hand away and moved so he was lying next to them, his hand on the baby's back. This was lust and something more.

"She is such a beautiful baby Booth."

"I bet you were also a beautiful baby."

"Hmmm….I suppose, but not like this. It makes me sad that your mother will never see her."

"That's nice, Bones. Sometimes I forget about things like that."

"Booth…you were a very cute baby"

"Oh yeah? Well, shucks, Bones, you're making me blush."

"Haha, yeah right."

They were quiet for a few moments.

"Bones, don't you ever think about having a baby?"

"Booth…it's not that I don't think babies are nice…I just don't like the idea of bringing another child into the world."

Booth cut right to the heart of the issue.

"You would never abandon a child, Bones."

"I know, at least, not intentionally, but there are things outside my control. I mean what if something happened to us…I mean me? If I died, then it would be a form of abandonment."

Booth let her comment about the two of them slip by, and keeping his eyes on Seelia, he rubbed the baby's back.

"Well, Bones…that's true."

Brennan realized he was avoiding her eyes.

"You want this" she gasped.

"What?" he answered, still looking at Seelia.

"A baby…a family, Thanksgiving with grandchildren running around, and boat trips. You want this."

Booth knew he could lie, but instead, he stayed silent. After a moment he met her eyes, and she could see his answer.

"Well…Bones…would you ever consider adopting a child, or maybe becoming a foster parent?"

"What?"

"Think about it Bones…you don't want to bring another child into the world. I get that, but you and I both know that there are children out there who need care, children who for whatever reason are without parents…maybe you could do something like that."

Now she was silent. He could see that she'd never really thought of it before.

"Seeley, are you up here?"

"Yeah Cara. Seelia and I are just waking up our sleepy Bones, aren't we, pretty baby?" He pulled Seelia up and nuzzled her stomach. He stood up so Cara wouldn't see them in the same bed.

He didn't know she'd been standing outside the door for the past ten minutes. As he left the room to give Brennan privacy and walked down the steps, Cara stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Hey, Seeley."

"Yeah?"

"Remember what Dad said to me, when for months I couldn't have a baby?"

Booth knew where she was going with this, and he looked at her, surprised.

She patted him on the arm.

"Everything happens eventually."

"Yeah…I've heard that before." He smiled.


	14. Chapter 14

Brennan walked down and entered the kitchen

Brennan walked down and entered the kitchen. Everyone was bustling around helping themselves to breakfast.

"Bones!"

"Hey Parker!"  
"Bones, are you going on the bike ride with us?"

"Sure she is, buddy."

"Oh, Booth…I'm not sure."  
"Bones…don't you know how to ride a bike?" he laughed.

"Um…no…actually. I never learned. Maybe I'll just watch."  
"Temperance, you can keep me company…unless you want to learn of course."

"I'm not sure."

"It's okay, Bones. I'll teach you sometime."  
"Hey, Dad. Do I get to stay in your room tonight?" Parker asked.

"Oh, sorry, bud, not tonight. Bones has been staying in my room, and I'm staying above the garage. You can stay up there with me."

"But I love your room" Parker whined. "All your cool trophies and your bed. I want to stay there."

"It's okay, Booth, we can trade. You can stay in your room and I'll move."

"Bones, you don't have to."

"I don't mind, and you and Parker can be together."  
"Thanks Bones."

"Yeah, thanks Bones" Johnny repeated.

"You can't call her Bones" Parker scolded him. "She's MY Bones, NOT yours."

"She is not yours!"

"Dad, tell Johnny that Bones belongs to us, Johnny can't have her."

"Well, Temperance, it appears you have two Booth boys fighting for you; that's very sweet." The adults at the table laughed.

"Three" Jared coughed.

Booth glared at him.

"Parker, we should share her with Johnny and everyone, don't you think?"

"But Dad, you told me that 'Bones' was our special name for her, that no one else was allowed to call her that."

"Yeah…" Booth wasn't sure what to say next.

"Well, Parker…that's just in the city. When we're here at your grandparents' house, anyone can call me 'Bones', right Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones, that's right. So how about it Parker? Do you think we can let Johnny call her Bones too?"

"I guess…but she's still our special girl, right dad?"

"Yeah, bud…she's still our girl." He reached to squeeze her cheek, and she slapped his hand away, but she also laughed.

"I want you to marry Bones."

Booth heard her gasp but wisely did not look at her, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, then she could stay with you, and you wouldn't be lonely when I can't be there."

Booth was silent for a moment. He reached over to ruffle Parker's hair.  
"Thank you for thinking of me, buddy. That's very nice of you." He looked up at Brennan, but she'd left the room. He got up to go after her.

"Let me, Seeley" Cara said and placed her hand on his shoulder. 'This one's girls only."

Cara found Brennan in Booth's room packing her suitcase.

"Bren"

"Cara, I don't think I can do this. It's too much. I mean I came here just to get away, and now, all of a sudden, there is so much pressure."  
"Bren…BREN!" Cara grabbed her arm, "Relax. No one is expecting you to marry Seeley, okay? Parker is five. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Did you hear him? He was more concerned about Seeley being lonely. Look, please don't go. Let's go into town, just get away for a bit. If, when we get back, you still want to leave, Ben and I will take you home, okay. I promise. But please, please don't leave like this."

"Okay, you're right. It wouldn't be fair to leave. Yeah, let's go into town."

As Cara shuffled her toward the door, Booth caught up with them. He was shocked when he saw her suitcase all packed.

"Bones, wait."

"Nope, Seeley, we are going out. We'll see you later, okay? Bren, just go out to the car. I'll be right there, I'm going to get Seelia."

"Okay"

"Cara…what is going on? Is Bones leaving?" He followed her into the nursery.

"No…she wants to go home, but I talked her into at least just going into town with me. Seeley…she's just overwhelmed I think. She just needs some space. Don't worry. I'll take good care of her, you just spend some time with Parker, okay? Isn't that what you want?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's what I want. Okay, Cara…thanks. This might not be your business, but, yeah thanks."

"Yeah, well, remember when I got engaged to Ben and you had him followed by the FBI? This is payback."

"Hey, you're my only sister. I had to."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"I know…let me help, please?"

"Yeah, yeah, that would be great. I'll see you later, okay?"


	15. Chapter 15

Cara was right

Cara was right. It was nice to get away for a bit. Brennan enjoyed shopping for outfits for Seelia, and as she rubbed her fingers across little pajamas and teeny bathrobes, she imagined herself pulling a baby out of a bath, smelling its clean, soft skin and wrapping it in a terry cloth hoodie.

Cara recognized baby fever when she saw it, but she held her tongue. "I'm glad I kept all of Johnny's baby things. I'm not sure whether we'll have twin girls or boys or one of each." She said to fill the silence.

"Are you nervous?"

"Yes…sometimes having two children is enough to make me insane, and I have Ben. You know, so far, it's been two against two, but with the twins, well, we'll be outnumbered." She laughed.

Brennan walked over to the cribs and rocking chairs. She imagined herself sitting in a chair, rocking a baby gently, singing a light lullaby. In her mind she imagined placing a sleeping baby in the crib, leaning down to gently lay it against cool sheets. She could almost feel a hand on her back, and in her mind's eye, just as she was releasing this baby, she turned and saw Booth. In her daydream, he is standing beside her, looking down in wonder at the sleeping infant.

"Bren, Bren!"

Brennan started and realized Cara had placed her hand on her back to get her attention.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…I'll be okay. I was just thinking about something."  
"Oh, well, it's 1 o'clock, do you want to grab some lunch?"

"Sure, sure, and then we can go back. I think I'll be okay."

"Alright, but I meant what I said. I will take you back to the city if you want."  
"Thanks, Cara."

When they got back to the house, Ben and Jared, Booth, Johnny and Parker were all riding up on bicycles. The young boys looked very cute in their helmets.  
"Ah…there are my favorite girls" Ben exclaimed, coming over to put his arm around Cara and Seelia." Brennan watched with a bit of envy at the ease in which they were able to touch one another. She could sense more than see Booth's presence beside her. If she were more bold, she'd put her arm around him like Cara had done with Ben, but it was that kind of thing that got her into trouble.

"Well, Bones, what do you think?"

'I think I want you' she thought.

"I…think about what?" she said.

"Want to try to ride a bike?"

"Now?"

"No time like the present, yeah? Anyways, someone has to go pick up the SUV. We drove out there and rode back, so I need someone to ride out with me and we can drive back."

"Okay, sure. It doesn't look too hard."  
"Bones, it's just like…"

"Just like what?"

"Well, you know how people say that if something's easy, it's just like riding a bike? Well, this is just like riding a bike."  
"I don't get it."  
"Yeah, me neither. Come on, let's try it."  
"Okay, Booth."

"Bones, pull your leg over the bar…like this…good, now try to push up so you are sitting on the seat."

"Booth"

"I'm holding the bike. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." She looked into his eyes searching for double meaning. She swallowed nervously.

"You okay, Bones?"

"Yeah, sure, this isn't so bad."  
"Well, we're not really going anywhere, but yeah, you're doing well."

"What's next"

Booth chuckled at her obvious attempt to conquer this challenge. Leave it to Bones to not be too intimidated by a physical challenge.

"Okay, Bones…next, put your feet on the pedals, and then, just push. You've ridden an exercise bike, before, right?"

"Sure, but it's not quite the same."  
"No, you're right. Okay, I've still got you. Now, here are the breaks. Try them….good, Bones! Okay, now, I'm going to let go of the bike and I want you to try to ride all the way to the tree."  
"Okay, I can do this."

He watched as she picked up speed and he ran to keep up with her.

"You're doing great, Bones. Are you sure you've never done this?"

She managed to stop without falling off. She turned to him with a huge smile on her face.  
"Booth, that is so invigorating. How far is your car?"

"Not too far, we had the boys with us and we didn't want to wear them out too much. Do you want to follow me?"  
"Sure."  
"Okay, let me get my bike, and I'll meet you right here. Good job, Bones. I'm proud of you."


	16. Chapter 16

As they rode toward the car, they both kept silent

As they rode toward the car, they both kept silent. Brennan was concentrating on her riding and Booth was concentrating on trying not to stare at her. She reached the car first, and when she got off her bike, she turned toward him with the most radiant smile on her face. He smiled back and lost sight of the giant pothole in the road. His front tire twisted, and his back tire turned inward. The bike stopped, but he kept moving forward. His head slammed against the pavement.

"Booth! Oh, Booth, not again! Are you okay?"

"Ugh…my head hurts. I need to get off the road."

"There's a little tree stump over there. Booth, do you think you can get to it?"  
Booth crawled to the stump and leaned back, his neck elevated. He closed his eyes and was quiet for a couple of minutes.

Brennan took one of his hands in hers. She hated that he was in pain again because of her. She traced his palm with her fingers and then pulled his hand up to brush her face. One tear escaped from the corner of her eye, and she used his hand to wipe it away. She looked at his face to see him looking at her.

"You're in love with me Bones"

She gasped, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant for it to happen."  
"Don't be sorry…"  
"SEELEY! What happened?"

"Jared? What are you doing here?"

"Ben and I came back to get the car. What happened?"  
"Oh, I fell and hit my head. I was just resting."

"Oh, well, let's get you home. Temperance, can you help Ben put the bikes in the back? I'll help Seeley into the car."  
"Yeah, sure." She replied.

Booth groaned as his brother helped him up and toward the SUV.

"I think I'll just walk back, Ben" Brennan said after the bikes were in the trunk.

"Are you sure? It looks like it might rain."

"I'll be okay… I don't mind the walk."

"Okay, you have your phone right? Call us if anything happens."  
"Yeah, I will."

Just as it started to rain an hour later, Brennan walked back into the house. It was quiet, and she found John sitting alone in the family room.

"Where is everyone?"

"They went into town to get some food. Except Seeley. He's upstairs, sleeping. I hope you don't mind, but we went ahead and put your things into the space above the garage. Seeley may end up sleeping the rest of the day, so we thought we'd just make the switch."  
"No, no I don't mind. That makes sense."  
"I couldn't help but notice that you were already packed. Are you unhappy here?"

"No, John…no. I'm having a great time. It's just kind of overwhelming."

"I understand. It's overwhelming to me, and I live here."

She smiled.

"Oh, Temperance…why were you packed?"

"I'm not sure. I think I just reacted when Parker said I should marry Booth. I don't want to get married."  
"Ever?"

"Well…I don't really believe in it, so…"  
"Why not?"

"Well…it's archaic. It's a ritual that doesn't have meaning. Women and men are not property any longer and therefore there is no need to 'transfer' that type of property from one person to another."

"I see. Yes, that makes sense,if you view it anthropologically."

"What other way is there to view it?"

"You can view it personally…Temperance. Getting married isn't all about giving up, it's also a lot of getting. When I married Caroline, I gave up some freedoms, yes, that's true, but I gained much more. Look, no one here is trying to talk you into doing something that you don't want to do. I know you came here to just get away from the city, and now it feels like you have to make a decision, but you don't. Really…just relax. Spend some time alone, maybe work on your book. Just promise you won't leave unless you tell one of us, okay?"

"Okay…yeah, I promise."

"That's my girl."  
She gasped.

"What?"

"Booth says that sometimes."  
"Oh, well, he's probably heard me say that to his mother."

Brennan was silent while she processed this information. John got up and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll see you later."


	17. Chapter 17

Brennan walked up to the apartment above the garage

Brennan walked up to the apartment above the garage. She removed her wet clothes and pulled on some yoga pants from her duffel bag and an FBI t-shirt she found in one of the drawers. On top of the dresser was Booth's wallet. She opened it up, and saw he had one of those little photo books. She began looking through it. One of Parker in his t-ball uniform, one on Santa's lap, one of Johnny and Seelia, one of his parents…then one of her as a young girl. She gasped. It was the photo from her parent's file. She was smiling at the camera, very innocent, oblivious to the future. She pulled the photo from the plastic casing and turned it over.

"It's worth it" he'd written on the back. "She's worth it."

She placed the photos back in his wallet and sat down on the bed, then rolled onto her stomach. The sound of the rain on the roof soothed her spirits. The sheets were different from the ones she'd seen the morning before, but these ones still smelled like Booth. She nuzzled her nose into the pillow and tried to envelop herself in the idea of being with Booth. Images of him in this bed caused her body to flush and then images of what she'd done to him in this bed caused her body to press even deeper into the mattress, as if she could somehow connect with him in this way. She fell asleep…dreaming of dark sheets… and bike rides… and brown eyed babies… and…

A crash of thunder caused Booth to sit up in bed. The quick movement caused a sharp pain in his head, and he gently lay back against his pillow. Where was he? As his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, he realized he was back in his old bedroom. In his old bed. 'Bones' he thought. Images of her in this bed with him and a baby flooded his consciousness. He rolled over to lay on his side. He moved one hand under his pillow and felt something strange. He pulled it out to see it was a photo. It was a photo of him and Jared, but it had been folded so you could only see his face. The edges were crumpled, almost as if someone had been clutching it in their hands. In her hands, he realized. Bones…he fell back to sleep…dreaming of smiles…and warm beds…and comforting hands…and blue eyed babies…and…

Brennan woke with a start and groaned. 'What time is it', she thought. She opened her phone. 1:30 AM…uuggghhhh. She was so tired…why was she awake?

Scenes from the day flashed through her mind…

'Don't you ever think about having a baby?'……

'I want you to marry Bones'…..she tossed and turned

'I'm not going anywhere, I promise'…..

'You're in love with me Bones' …..

She felt so confused. She needed to go back to her apartment and be alone for a bit. Maybe she could sort through these emotions if she wasn't surrounded by Booth's family.

She got out of the bed. Her suitcase was already all packed up. It was sitting by the door where it had been left for her. She was too comfortable in her clothes to change, so all she had to do was pull some socks out of her duffel bag and put her shoes on.

Brennan felt a twinge of guilt at trying to leave in the middle of the night. Maybe if she just went into the house…she could leave a note. She was so tired, she could barely think.

As she entered the sleeping household, she looked on the rack for the keys to Booth's SUV. They weren't there. Maybe she should just go tell him she was leaving and ask for the keys. Yes, that would be good, and then she wouldn't be breaking her promise to John either.

Brennan crept up the stairs as quietly as possible. The door to Booth's bedroom was cracked open, and she could see Parker laying on the floor in his sleeping bag. Booth was on his bed, and his face looked peaceful. She went to lie down beside him.

"Booth" she whispered so as to not wake Parker… "Booth…wake up…" she placed her hands on his bare shoulders.

"Booth, please wake up!" she whispered a little louder.

"Bones?" Was he having a dream? Why else would she be here in his bed wearing his shirt? He wrapped his arms around her and turned their bodies so she was underneath him.

"Booth…I need your keys."

This woke him up right away…she'd never said that in any of his other dreams.

"Bones? What's wrong?" He propped up on his elbows.

"Nothing…I don't know…I just need some time to think about things, okay? Are you mad?"

"Of course I'm not mad. The keys are on the nightstand here" He shook his head to clear his thoughts.  
"Bones, are you mad at me?" he whispered.

"NO!" she said… "I mean, no…" she whispered back. "I just want to go home." Although when she said this, she realized that she was feeling every emotion associated with 'home' here, with Booth, in his bed. She traced his precious face, and moved her hands down his neck to feel his shoulders. She felt her eyelids drooping…it was so warm, he felt so strong…and it was late…and she was so tired…

"Do you have to leave right now?"

"Hmmm…I guess…I guess I could wait a few…" within seconds she was asleep.

Booth stared at her for a moment before the effects of his day and the rain on the roof caught up with him again. He rolled over, and wrapped her in his arms and quickly fell asleep to the sound of her breathing.


	18. Chapter 18

Brennan awoke early to find herself wrapped up in Booth

Brennan awoke early to find herself wrapped up in Booth. What? How had this happened? She remembered coming to his room to tell him she was leaving…he'd told her the keys were on the nightstand…she could remember touching his face, and then…she feel asleep. Gently disentangling herself, she picked up the keys, stepped over Parker, walked down the stairs, and ran smack into Jared.  
"Temperance…you know…you've really got to stop sneaking into Seeley's room…he's liable to get too much sleep." He teased.

"Nothing happened. I came to tell him I was leaving, and to get his keys…that's all."  
"Oh, so he's awake?"

"No…well…that was at like 2 in the morning…maybe I fell asleep on his bed…but nothing happened."  
"Why are you leaving?"

"I just need to clear my head."  
"And Seeley knows this."  
'Yes…I told him, well, you know…"  
'Oh…well…let me help you carry your bags out to the car."

"Thanks, but I can get them."  
'Please let me help you."

"Okay, sure, thanks."

Booth stirred at the loss of contact. He heard a car door slam outside. 'Bones' he thought, and he went to stand by the window. He saw Jared pull her into a hug and lightly kiss her on the cheek. He ran outside as fast as he could, but she'd already driven away…

"Hey..Seeley…nice boxers. Maybe that's why Temperance left your bed."

Frustrated, Booth turned and punched him in the face.

"What the hell?" Jared shoved him. Booth was frustrated and he shoved back. Jared grabbed him by the waist and threw him to the ground. Soon they were both wrestling on the ground.

"Seeley…Jared…stop this right now." Caroline yelled from the porch. "Since when have you been allowed to express your anger through fighting in this house?"

Booth groaned and helped his brother up. They both walked into the living room and flopped on the couches.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves."

"Did Parker see that?" Booth did not want his son to see him fighting his own brother.

"No" John said. "He's still asleep."

"Sorry Mom."

"It's not me you owe an apology to."

"Jared, I'm sorry" Booth said. "I was jealous, and I shouldn't have punched you in the face."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have made that comment about Temperance…it was out of line and crude."

Booth realized he was still in his underwear, now in front of his parents and his brother. Could this be any more humiliating?

"Seeley?"

"Hey… Rebecca" Apparently it could get more humiliating.

"What happened?"

"Seeley and I just got too upset and we took it out on each other. Hey Rebecca."

"Hey Jared…is Parker up?"

"No, I'll go get him." Jared said.

John went to the phone.

"Hey, Kevin…what are you doing today? Well, we could use you…"


	19. Chapter 19

Booth helped Rebecca put Parker in her car

Booth helped Rebecca put Parker in her car. Parker was still waking up.  
"Dad? Are you going to be lonely when I leave?"

"I'm always sad when you leave, buddy. But I'll be okay"

"Cause of Bones, right?"

"What?"

"Cause she makes you not lonely, right?"

Booth felt her departure even more acutely.

"Yeah, bud…she makes me not lonely. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay, dad. I love you."

"Love you too."

Booth walked back into the house. This was turning into one heck of a bad day.

As he went back upstairs, he saw Cara packing his bags.

"What's going on? I apologized. I can't believe I'm getting kicked out."

"You're not kicked out, Seeley. Dad called Uncle Kevin. He's going to fly you to D.C."

"What?"

"Seeley, Bren just left…she's got like a four hour drive ahead of her. If you fly, you can beat her there. You can be there in an hour or so. I'm just helping you pack."

Booth pulled her into a hug.

"Uh…Seeley?"  
"Yeah?" He had the best family.

"Maybe you should put some pants on first."

He laughed.

"Yeah, I probably should."

Within 30 minutes, the plane had landed in the field across the road.

Booth carried his bags and met his dad by the plane. John shook his brother's hand, then turned to give his oldest son a hug.  
"Go take care of our girl, okay?"

Booth was surprised to feel his throat tighten with tears.

"Yeah, Dad…I will. Tell Mom thanks for everything."


	20. Chapter 20

Brennan was deep in thought as she drove back to the nation's capital

Brennan was deep in thought as she drove back to the nation's capital. She kept turning in her seat, his seat, to see if he was beside her. She'd thought to escape him for just a bit, but being in his car felt like a hug from him. As she watched the scenery she'd missed the first time, she realized she felt lonely, and she almost never felt lonely. She was so used to caring for herself in everyway, and in the past, when she'd felt alone, she'd replaced those emotions with work. This was a different type of loneliness, however. She'd read once that loneliness isn't being alone, it's not having someone in your life to share amazing moments with. As she continued driving, it began to snow. It was gorgeous, the light layer of peace on earth, and she wished he were there too.

Booth landed in D.C. about an hour later. He quickly hailed a cab and went to her apartment. Using his spare key, he entered, and got to work. Within 30 minutes, he placed the package on her table, made sure her door was securely locked, and left.

Brennan parked the SUV outside her apartment building. Just being alone for a few hours had been refreshing. It had released the pressure she realized she'd placed on herself. When she thought about it, no one in Booth's family had been putting pressure on her; she'd reacted to what she thought they'd want, but the truth was that they'd all accepted her, just as she was.

For as long as she lived, she'd never forget Booth face when he told her she loved him. Trust him to be able to read her emotions before she even knew she had them. He'd said not to be sorry, but did he feel the same way? It felt like he did sometimes. As she looked around her apartment, she remembered the time he'd come to see her after her mother's body had been found. She remembered the way he'd hugged her when she thought Russ had been killed, and she remembered the way he had looked sitting at her table eating the food she'd made for him.

Carly had told her that cooking could be a way to show love to someone. At the time, she'd thought the chef was dealing with hyperbole, but now, she realized it was true. Love was giving of yourself, in whatever way you could. Brennan realized that Booth had been gradually loving her. As she walked toward the table, she gasped when she saw what was on it.


	21. Chapter 21

On the center of the table was a book, but when she opened it, she saw it was hollow

On the center of the table was a book, but when she opened it, she saw it was hollow. Inside was a note, tied with a red ribbon…

"Dear Bones,

I miss you. I know it's only been a few hours, but, there it is. I've enjoyed waking up beside you the past three mornings. I want you in my life. We complement each other. When I look at you, I see a woman who has love to give, and I'm always honored when you choose me to receive it. I want to love you back, if you'll let me.

Love,

Booth

Brennan stood up and raced to the door, grabbing his car keys to drive to his house. When she opened the door, he was standing there, a question on his face.

"Yes" she answered before he said it out loud, "Yes, to everything."


	22. Epilogue

Okay, Okay. I actually had an idea for an epilogue...hope you like it.

Thanksgiving 2038:

He pressed his hand against her back as they climbed the porch stairs.

"You grew up here?"

"Not really, I mean, I lived with my mom."

"Oh, yeah."

"But, my dad, he grew up here, and he and Bones moved out here after they retired."

"Bones?"

"You'll meet her."

"Okay...it's quiet."

"Yeah, well, once my sisters and their kids get here, it won't be."

"You have sisters?"

"Yes, didn't I tell you that?"

"No...just your brother."

"Well, my parents, they adopted three children. My brother Jared, and my sisters, Cara and Angela."

"Oh"

"Don't be nervous; they're nice."

She smiled.

"Parker, my boy, get in here."

Parker entered the house while his dad slapped him on the shoulder and closed the door behind him.

30 seconds later, Parker opened the door, horrified.

"I'm so sorry. I thought you were right behind me."

She smiled and followed him inside.

"Parker!"  
"Hey, Bones." He gave her a hug.

"How's my favorite pediatrician?"

"I'm good." Parker answered.

"Parker, you brought a friend?"

"You didn't tell them I was coming?" Now she was horrified.

"It's okay." He placed his hand on her lower back. "Dad, Bones, this is Skills."

"Skills?" Booth shook her hand and caught his wife's eye. She suppressed a grin.

"Well, my name is Lauren, but Parker calls me Skills. It's because I destroy him every week on the basketball court."

"Yeah, right. You wish. Anyways, _Lauren_, is my nurse. I mean, she works with me at the clinic, and she didn't have plans for Thanksgiving, so..."

"Lauren, you are very welcome here." Booth told her.

"Thanks."

"So, Lauren, your family, are they out of town?"

"Oh, um...no...well, I don't really have a family. My parents died when I was in medical school. I didn't have any brothers or sisters, so...I'm kind of on my own."

"Yeah, Bones. Skills here is working for me while she goes back to school to get her pediatrics degree."

Brennan smiled at her. "That is very admirable, Lauren", then turned to Booth. He smiled too.

"Well, Bones, do you want to take her upstairs, or above the garage?"

Her eyes flashed, even after all these years, and Booth smiled back at her.  
"The garage, I think. Come on, Lauren. I'll show you." She said.

"Don't take too long. I want to show Skills the treehouse."

Booth stood with Parker, watching him watch them walk away.

"Well, son...she's very pretty."

"What? No, Dad. She's just my nurse."

Booth patted him on the back.

"Sure, sure. So...how are things in the city?"


End file.
